1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cleaning device suitable for cleaning a floor surface of a house, an office, etc., and more particularly to a cleaning device with a squirter for squirting liquid toward an object to be cleaned.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Utility-Model Registration No. 3094858 discloses a cleaning device having a mop section at one end of a handle constructed by connecting pipes together. The mop section has nozzles and the handle is equipped with a water container. The handle has a handle switch in its grip. By operating the handle switch, a piston provided in the water container is moved to squirt water out of the water container through the nozzles. This utility-model is aimed at improving the effect of cleaning the floor by squirting water from the nozzles.
Japanese Utility-Model Registration No. 3094858 does not specify the construction of the nozzles through which water is squirted, but squirting water through the nozzles provided in the mop section is expected to have the following problems.
FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a nozzle head (or liquid jetting part) 2 mounted on a mop section 1 that is similar to the mop section disclosed in Japanese Utility-Model Registration No. 3094858. A plurality of nozzles 3, 4, 5 have orifices on the nozzle head 2 and squirt directions of the nozzles 3, 4, 5 are indicated by La, Lb, Lc, respectively. In order to supply water over a wide area, the squirt directions La, Lb, Lc of the nozzles 3, 4, 5 need to extend radially in a plane parallel to the floor surface, as shown in FIG. 9.
However, since a squirt surface 2a of the nozzle head 2 where the nozzles 3, 4, 5 have orifices is flat, the squirt directions Lb, Lc of the nozzles 4, 5 make a narrow, acute angle φ with the squirt surface 2a. 
In the case where the squirt directions make the narrow angle φ with the squirt surface 2a, water squirted forward from the nozzles 4, 5 tends to adhere to the squirt surface 2a at portions forming the narrow angle φ because of surface tension of water and wettability of the squirt surface 2a. Therefore, water squirted from the nozzles 4, 5 tends to be bent laterally outwardly from the squirt directions Lb, Lc, without traveling straight along the squirt directions Lb, Lc, or a spray of water tends to be thrown laterally outwardly from the squirt directions Lb, Lc. Particularly in Japanese Utility-Model Registration No. 3094858, the flow rate of water squirted from the nozzles 4, 5 decreases as the remaining amount of water in the water container decreases, which increases the likelihood that streams of squirted water will be bent or a spray of water will be thrown laterally as described above.
As a result, the water streams squirted from the nozzles 4, 5 cannot fly a long way and tends to be directly applied to the mop section.
Moreover, in the case where the squirt directions Lb, Lc make the narrow angle φ with the squirt surface 2a, when the cleaning device is not in use and propped, water remaining in the nozzle head 2 tends to ooze out through the nozzles 4, 5 because of surface tension of water and wettability of the squirt surface 2a, causing water pools 6 on the sides of the nozzles 4, 5 forming the narrow angle φ, as shown in FIG. 9. When not in use, therefore, the water oozing out through the nozzles 4, 5 may drip down to wet the storage space of the cleaning device.
Furthermore, if a detergent for cleansing a floor, a wax or the like is put in the water container and oozes out to cause the pools 6 when in not use, the detergent, the wax or the like may get stuck to soil the squirt surface 2a and may also lead to clogging of the nozzles. If such pools 6 drip onto a floor surface, still furthermore, the floor of the storage space or the like will be soiled with the detergent, the wax or the like.
On the other hand, if the nozzles 3, 4, 5 of FIG. 9 are arranged to have the squirt directions La, Lb, Lc parallel to the floor surface, water cannot fly a long way from the squirt surface 2a regardless of whether the flow rate of liquid squirted from the nozzles 3, 4, 5 is high or not, which results in a limited water supply area. When the remaining amount of water in the water container is decreased to lower the flow rate of squirts from the nozzles 3, 4, 5, moreover, the water squirt distance tends to be extremely shortened, which leads to direct application of water to the mop section and a cleaning sheet.